James Howard Kunstler

What do you think of James Howard Kunstler, author "The Geography of Nowhere," "Home from Nowhere," and "The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition"?

I read his first two books and read him in a number of published interviews over the past two years. My sense is that he is a loud-mouthed, vulgar, polemicizer who loves his hometown in New York state so much that he wants all of America to feel the same way! In short, the stuff that guy writes makes him sound like a grumpy old kook.

Have you visited wwww.kunstler.com recently? Perhaps the most interesting feature of that site is the "Architectural Blunders" section. Follow the link and you will find poor photos of supposedly bad design and horrible architecture. And the writing! Wow, be sure to cover you eyes, cuz ya know he writes the most unbiased analyses. [Yeah, right!] And don't forget to peruse his articles in "Clustefuck Nation Chronicles," a thoughtful title meant to convey an affectionate nostalgia for all that America yearns to be... yet is never able to attain.

Okay, so what do you think? Is he an urban planning prophet, a light of hope sparkling through the evil darkness of our suburban hells? Or is he just a grumpy old kook bent on polarizing the planning and architecture professions in order to create the requisite controversy that swiflty moves books off the shelves of Borders?

I took the liberty of writing the man...

...as it seems only fair to let him know he is being talked about. Here is his response. No Kidding!

When we have enough places in America that aren't worth caring about, we'll have a nation not worth defending. Is that excessively polemical? Admittedly it is my personal point of view. I think it is truthful however, and I dare you to argue against it.

I'm a proud owner of both Nowheres. My planning commissioners are now passing them around; last meeting, I gave 'em some reading material to contemplate while considering long-range planning efforts.

The commissioners are very aware that their town is perhaps one of the most threatened small communities in the country. (Today's vehicle-related land use inquiry -- RV sales!) However, they're not fond of New Urbanism as it has been practiced in the Orlando area; it feels "fake" to them. Grid -- yes. Alleys -- yes. Cul-de-sacs -- no. Gated communities -- no. Blocks of nearly identical "neotraditional" style housing with a homogeneous, upscale population -- a resounding no.

Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey

Can't he just be a grumpy old kooky planning prophet? Yes, he can be a bit harsh, but I think his tactics have made a lot of people pay attention to planning and design issues that otherwise wouldn't. Plus, I used to work in Saratoga Springs and it is one of my favorite places in the world and I do wish that my town put as much thought into their development standards that they did.

K
yeah he can just be an instigator who makes us think...I will admit that his books are quite reader friendly, full of simple, easily understood, laymenesque terms.

And I also love Saratoga Springs having grown up just an hour or so south.

But again, its fair to say that not everybody wants to live in mayberry, with limited job opportunities, commerce, etc...

He really lambasts Atlanta in his new book (chapter available on his website)...I have lived there myself --post undergrad years and there are plenty of folks who think it is a great city--lots of 20 somethings and bars and jobs and weather...

I don't know, I am torn...Places like Atlanta are awful in lots of ways, but as long as there are other choices, like Saratoga Springs, NY...

Hmm, I can't remember where the thread is, but Cyburbanites have also harshed on Atlanta. I remember trying to get to the airport the day that plane crashed into the 400. And I don't think I'd ever taken a trip from Clemson to Atlanta without seeing one car fire on 85 in Atlanta. But George is right about the young hipsters - they love Hotlanta. But then, the young hipsters don't mind spending all day in their car, since they usually don't have families to get home to. My sister in law loved it. however, I think she may have actually smoked crack once.

George - I think everyone who lives within day trip's range of saratoga has fond childhood memories of saratoga, since "The Track" seems to be the Capital District's summer past time.

I agree with K Mateja. I frankly think he is a hoot, if you look at what he writes with a grain of salt. But, I think things need to be stirred up a bit, and you can't get that "stirring" through plannerese-filled reports talking about "community character enhancement policies and locally-focused community-based economic development. "

One thing that does bother me is how rabidly pro-Israel he is. That country can do NO wrong, which even to a sympathiser is ridiculous. I mean, bombing every single Arab capital to dust, as he proposed once?

What does amuse me is his constant harping about the livability of the Sun Belt after the oil crash. I'm sorry, I can live without the air conditioner (in Sacramento Valley) a lot easier than the yankees will without their heating oil (Please, I'm not bashing you yankees, I'm just commenting on his rather snide criticisms about the sunbelt climate).

That was the one thing that got me about his website - I don't mind hearing his rantings about the built environment, but his political commentary on the Middle East just struck me as being incredibly biased and ill-informed. I gues he's got his soap box and he wants to use it...

KMateja wrote:
And I don't think I'd ever taken a trip from Clemson to Atlanta without seeing one car fire on 85 in Atlanta.

I love all multi-colored paint marks and the truck tire marks all over the concrete center divders in Atlanta. Some of it was almost mine last time I was there, some SUV tried to occupy the same space I was in.

I agree with many of his points. Also, I find his frank "tell it like he sees it" method refreshing and a good read. Provoking thought on these issues (outside of the planning community) may require just such a bigger hammer, stick in the eye, approach...

BTW I also think he's pretty close to being right on the money as far as Israel goes...

Re: Hmmm...

Beaner wrote:

Places in America that aren't worth caring about... what does that mean?

Places not worth caring about are places that are nothing more than automibile-choked suburban Hellholes with absolutely no redemeeming qualities whatsoever. Typically they have endless crudscapes of postwar suburban architecture such as fast food fry pits, auto-dealerships, jive-plastic bunker houses, tanning salons, and shopping malls. They also may have any or all of the following characteristics.

Bad Day

I am, certainly.

Something is blooming (Solano County is the asthma/allergy capital of the world), my nose is running, my lungs are clogging, and my tolerance for platitudes is lost. Not that I don't do my own share of ideologically-based fuzzy thinking .

I disagree...

Super Amputee Cat wrote:
Places not worth caring about are places that are nothing more than automibile-choked suburban Hellholes with absolutely no redemeeming qualities whatsoever. Typically they have endless crudscapes of postwar suburban architecture such as fast food fry pits, auto-dealerships, jive-plastic bunker houses, tanning salons, and shopping malls. They also may have any or all of the following characteristics.

Having a Starbucks, Wal-Mart, TGIFs, Ruby Tuesday, and Applebee's also increase the likelihood that you live in a place not worth caring about.

I grew up in a place just you like describe above. I love my hometown! What's wrong with the physical environment you describe above? Driving to KFC, shopping at Wal-Mart, and wearing Tommy Hilfiger jeans is okay. What's wrong with that? I have a car that can take me to these places. The town has a bus system that links the major neighborhoods with the malls and strip developments along the retail corridors. These locations are convenient and the products are cheap. I'm glad I have these choices. It's a suburban environment. The crime is low and so is the unemployment rate. There are plenty of parks to take the kids. Who cares what this so-called "automibile-choked suburban Hellhole" looks like? I have plenty of friends, they are upstanding citizens, and we have a good time when we get together. We are not depressed and not Kunstlerized by any means. And by "Kunstlerized" I mean a professional planner who suffers from a chronic case physical determinism. Ugh. I care about my hometown, and it has to do with the friendliness of the people, the convenience of getting what I want, and having a great sense of security. It has nothing to do with the elitist yearnings of yuppie-dom that thinks a cute 4-story minimum height requirement in a faux-Fisher Price "village center" will cure society's ills. Save that for the do-gooders who will go bankrupt while trying to create that new urbanist utopian ideal.